The Hindu Crossword 8232 Solutions - by Vinod & Rajagopal

Across
1 In a dark winter, gin cocktail is one to quench thirst (8,5) DRINKING WATER (dark winter, gin cocktail = ana. DARK+WINTER+GIN)
10 State (abroad) of the weak mule? I wonder! (9) MILWAUKEE (weak mule? I wonder = ana. WEAK+MULE+I)
11 He makes a mark at the polls, possibly (5) VOTER (Direct)
12 Greek character is a symbol of summation (5) SIGMA 9Direct)
13 European highway, but not really meant for three-wheelers (9) AUTOROUTE (Direct)
14 Do a Holmes act (6) DETECT (Direct)
16 Helen's abductor in France (5) PARIS (Double Defn.)
19 Diplomat, a bit of a brazen voyeur (5) ENVOY (Container => brazEN VOYeur)
20 Loud sound from writer Saul (6) BELLOW
25 Vanish, if wrongly apprised about Adam's origin (9) DISAPPEAR (wrongly apprised=ana. APPRISED=DISPPEAR, Adam's origin=A=>wrongly apprised about Adam's origin = DIS(A)PPEAR)
26 African town can bend accountant back (5) ACCRA (bend=ARC, accountant=CA=>bend accountant back = reverse of ARC+CA = AC+CRA)
27 A soft encounter includes this frequently (5) OFTEN (Container => sOFT ENcounter)
28 Native of China cannot see danger (9) CANTONESE (cannot see danger = ana. CANNOT+SEE)
29 Personal assistant, young girl, is a creature of prey (9,4) SECRETARY BIRD (Personal assistant=SECRETARY, yougn girl=BIRD)

Down
2 Demote Lee? Great wrong (8) RELEGATE (Lee? Great wrong = ana. LEE+GREAT)
3 Antelope, a bit young, caught by legendary cook (5) NYALA (bit Young=Y, legendary cook=NALA=>bit young, caught by legendary cook = N(Y)ALA)
4 Stationery item, oddly a soft kind (3,3) INK PAD (oddly a soft kind = ana. A+P+KIND)
5 Big conflict that started on 28th July 1914 (5,3) GREAT WAR (Direct)
6 Drives organised with tea to give publicity (9) ADVERTISE (Drives organised with tea = ana. DRIVES+TEA)
7 Have a meal away from home — not necessarily under the stars (3,3) EAT OUT (Direct)
8 A Frenchman was accustomed to being entertained (6) AMUSED (A=a, Frenchman=M, accustomed=USED => A+M+USED)
9 Porridge got by brandishing Luger (5) GRUEL (brandishing Luger = ana. LUGER)
15 It is the key for getting sustenance from preserved food (3,6) CAN OPENER (Cryptic definition => key=OPENER)
17 Quiet man owing money cold-shouldered by suspension of electricity supply (5,3) POWER CUT (Quiet=P, man owing money=OWER, cold-shouldered=CUT => P+OWER CUT)
18 The end of the air raid, by the sound of it (3,5) ALL CLEAR (Direct)
21 A cloth maker, we were told (6) WEAVER (we were told=homonym of WE WERE)
22 Included in dread hocus-pocus for a specific purpose (2,3) AD HOC (Container => dreAD HOCus)
23 Deadly fly set off repeatedly (6) TSETSE (set off=ana. TSE=>set off repeatedly = TSE+TSE)
24 What Hamlet might have spent (6) KRONER (Direct)
26 A missile that ended a war (1-4) A-BOMB (A=A, missile=BOMB)